American is praising Japan Airlines' decision to remain in the oneworld alliance and expand its relationship with American.

American Chairman and CEO Gerard Arpey said, "In the coming days, American will work with JAL's new management team to finalize a joint application for transpacific antitrust immunity that will be filed with DOT. American remains confident that the application will meet DOT's pro-consumer and pro-competition criteria, which will pave the way for our two airlines to operate a joint venture between U.S. and Japan."

Delta, which had lobbied for JAL to join the rival SkyTeam alliance, issued a statement that said, "With recently announced plans to invest $1 billion in our product, Delta remains committed to providing a leading option for travel across the Pacific. Delta's competitive Pacific presence, along with our transatlantic joint venture with Air France/KLM and leading position in global markets, will continue to allow Delta and our SkyTeam partners to meet demand worldwide."